Some of the first truly great martial arts movies that still hold up today came out near the end of the 1960s (like Dragon Inn), and then the 1970s might well have been the best decade for the genre, or purists would probably say as much (doesn’t hurt to have classics like Enter the Dragon released that decade). So, why look at the 1980s, then? Why not?
There were good martial arts movies that decade, too, even if the whole golden era of the genre might have been coming to an end at that point, if it hadn’t already ended in the 1970s. There will be a focus specifically on the best Hong Kong martial arts movies of the 1980s below… so, films either wholly or partly produced by – and made in – Hong Kong, just because the film industry there has been particularly tied to the genre, historically speaking.
10
‘Five Element Ninjas’ (1982)
Five Element Ninjas is one of many classic martial arts movies that has a narrative concerned with some kind of quest for vengeance. The main character finds the titular group, so there are ninja-related shenanigans, he fights alongside them, there is a good deal of training and bettering oneself, and then all the fighting you see at the very end feels more explosive and high-stakes than the comparative skirmishes that came before.
It’s got that Shaw Brothers feel to it, for better or worse. The studio has a certain charm, and many of the movies produced by said studio are going to show up here, but it does have to be acknowledged that Shaw Brothers movies have somewhat limited production values. Still, the focus is usually on the precise fight choreography, and so the stuff that really matters is well-executed here. There aren’t too many terrible Shaw Brothers movies, and even if Five Element Ninjas isn’t among the studio’s very best, it’s still plenty satisfying.
9
‘Killer Constable’ (1980)
With the word “Constable” in the title, you might think Killer Constable is a modern-day martial arts movie involving the modern-day (or modern-day for 1980) police force in one way or another, but it’s not that kind of police story (its time will come, just be patient). This one takes place in the 1800s, and the story’s fairly straightforward, since it’s about some gold that goes missing, and then the guy the title refers to is sent out to enact justice on the robbers and bring the gold back.
As is the case when things are well-shot and all the fight sequences are well-handled, not much more of a story is needed. Killer Constable maybe has some things to say about violence and crime and a few other broad things, but it’s mostly concerned with action, and you get a lot of it here. It’s blunt and even kind of aggressive, but in a way that works for the kind of movie it is.
8
‘Duel to the Death’ (1983)
With that simple and straight-to-the-point title, Duel to the Death initially seems to be about what you’d expect, but it’s got a little more going on narratively than most martial arts movies from the 1980s. A Japanese swordsman is set to battle a Chinese one, which is an arranged match that happens every decade, but the two have doubts about the legitimacy of the fight, and some melodramatic things occur in the lead-up to the fight.
It involves a clash of cultures and fighting styles, but still counts as a Hong Kong movie rather than a Japanese martial arts movie… technically, it belongs to the wuxia genre, so it’s sort of in line with the likes of A Touch of Zen and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Maybe it’s a little more grounded than those, but it departs from reality a little in certain places, which helps keep things varied. Duel to the Death is good stuff, in any event, and perhaps one of the more underrated movies being mentioned here.
7
‘Pedicab Driver’ (1989)
Watching enough martial arts movies will make you familiar with Sammo Hung, at least eventually, and not just classic martial arts movies, since he’s had memorable roles in 21st century releases, like the second Ip Man film. Like another legend in the martial arts scene (initials J.C.; he’ll show up later), Sammo Hung’s adept at directing and acting, with Pedicab Driver being one movie of his where he did both.
This one is a tonally odd movie, being a comedy at times and really heavy at other points, all the while still featuring a ton of action… and the action is what shines the most. It makes the tonal whiplash here easy to forgive, if it even bothers you in the first place. Pedicab Driver, in some ways best not ruined/spoiled, really is a movie that wants to deliver on a few different fronts all at once, and it mostly works. At least the ambition can be admired, in any event. And good action. Always good action; that always matters most.
6
‘The Seventh Curse’ (1986)
Though it’s not quite as chaotic as a certain 1983 movie that’s about to be mentioned, The Seventh Curse is still quite gonzo, with strong supernatural elements alongside the more expected action stuff. It’s also particularly fast-paced, even compared to the other movies here, being about an adventurer trying to rescue a woman, but then he’s cursed, and so then he has to adventure a bit more and try to find a cure for the curse in question.
If you ever watched Princess Mononoke and found yourself wishing it was more frightening, a good deal shorter, more surreal, and not animated, then that’s kind of weird you thought all that while watching the film, but still, The Seventh Curse is the thing you’re specifically (and unusually) looking for. It’s a good time, even if it’s perhaps a little too offbeat for some, but it’s a ride worth taking nonetheless, especially since it flashes by, and the runtime’s nice and lean, too (at just 83 minutes all up).
5
‘The Boxer’s Omen’ (1983)
To merely call The Boxer’s Omen a 1980s martial arts movie and leave it at that would be misleading and potentially even doing it a disservice. Like, fighting is a somewhat important part of The Boxer’s Omen (making it almost like a very twisted sports movie, at least initially), but so much of the violence and overall mortifying content (and there is so much violence and mortifying content) comes from the movie’s horror elements, and maybe a warning is needed before suggesting anyone watches this.
It is as much a supernatural horror movie as it is an action film, being uncompromisingly sleazy, intentionally gross, and always in-your-face, so to call it a sicko movie would be quite the understatement. If you’re sufficiently braced, though, the extreme parts of The Boxer’s Omen prove exceptionally novel for martial arts – or martial arts-adjacent – movies, so it’s about as unique as Hong Kong martial arts movies from the 1980s get, for better or worse.
4
‘Eastern Condors’ (1987)
Eastern Condors isn’t made up exclusively of hand-to-hand combat, given this mashes up a few genres all at once, doing so decades before there was that other movie about doing Everything Everywhere All at Once. The story is also a high-concept one, as it involves Chinese prisoners being tasked with going into Vietnam and destroying a stockpile of missiles that the U.S. forces left there.
Eastern Condors is also one of the very best things Sammo Hung ever did as an actor/director, alongside the previously mentioned Pedicab Driver.
To compare it to an English-language action movie, it’s The Dirty Dozen, but with a lot more kung fu action (plus some gunfights and explosions, as you’d expect). Eastern Condors is also one of the very best things Sammo Hung ever did as an actor/director, alongside the previously mentioned Pedicab Driver. He’s regrettably not quite as well-known as someone like Bruce Lee, who can’t really be mentioned when you’re talking about Hong Kong martial arts movies from the 1980s, since his work in the genre was short-lived and relegated to the 1970s, owing to his early death.
3
‘Magnificent Warriors’ (1987)
There’s another Michelle Yeoh martial arts movie called Royal Warriors that’s also from the 1980s and pretty good, but the one more worthy of highlighting is Magnificent Warriors. They’re not related, with the latter not being a sequel to the former or anything, even if “Royal” came out in 1986 and “Magnificent” came out in 1987. Michelle Yeoh is very convincing as a fighter, or warrior, or whatever she needs to play in one of these movies, so maybe it checks out.
As far as the story goes, Magnificent Warriors takes place in the 1930s, with Yeoh’s character – and her allies – having to mount a rescue that also sees them coming up against the Japanese army. The action never slows down, once this simple premise really kicks off, and so you more than get your money’s worth if it’s just pure action and spectacle that you’re after, all packed into a breathless 92-minute runtime.
2
‘Police Story’ (1985)
Of all the absolutely classic Jackie Chan movies, Police Story could well be the most classic. The classic-est? Anyway, it’s certainly the best movie of his that doesn’t take place in the distant past, because something like 1994’s Drunken Master II is also an all-timer, but here, Chan plays a detective who’s up against a large organization of criminals, and he has to protect a witness in an upcoming trial.
Basically, Police Story is Jackie Chan versus a bunch of gangsters, and then there’s also some comedy thrown in, but the comedy isn’t nearly as good as the action. But that’s okay, because Police Story excites throughout, with a fair few very high-quality fight scenes spread through the whole thing, and that’s before getting to all the mind-blowing stunts (the best is saved for last, too, as far as both the fights and stunts are concerned, in typical martial arts movie fashion).
1
‘The 8 Diagram Pole Fighter’ (1984)
If you want straightforward martial arts action with a fairly standard (or familiar) plot, The 8 Diagram Pole Fighter has a bit of everything: revenge, training, and a fairly ridiculous climax, but ridiculous in a good way. There are a whole heap of characters who seem important for a matter of minutes, but then most of them are killed, one is driven mad, and the only survivor has to go into hiding, all the while plotting vengeance.
Part of this came about because of the production, since star Alexander Fu died suddenly while it was being filmed, so Gordon Liu takes center-stage more than might’ve been anticipated (but he’d proven more than capable of being the lead in a martial arts movie the previous decade, demonstrated particularly well by The 36th Chamber of Shaolin). Also, the level of violence here is quite high for a movie of its age… admittedly not to the same extent as The Boxer’s Omen, but again, that one wasn’t really a straightforward or pure martial arts film the way The 8 Diagram Pole Fighter was.
The 8 Diagram Pole Fighter
- Release Date
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February 17, 1984
- Runtime
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98 minutes
- Director
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Lau Kar-leung
- Writers
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Ni Kuang
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Gordon Liu Chia-hui
Yang 5th Brother
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Alexander Fu Sheng
Yang 6th Brother
